Past Winners to Meet in Congressional Cup

A schoolteacher, a real estate salesman, a paving contractor and Ted Turner are among 10 men gathered in Long Beach this week who have one thing in common: they all are sailors who have won the Congressional Cup.

Most of the world-class sailors who normally would compete are involved in the America’s Cup at San Diego, so the Long Beach Yacht Club invited past winners to compete in a Masters Regatta as the 31st running of the match-racing event. They will sail a double round-robin from today through Friday. All will sail Catalina 37s with crews of six.

The races, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. each day, will be staged near Belmont Pier and may be watched from the bluff near the east end of Ocean Blvd.

Turner competed 10 times and won in 1977, the same year he went on to defend the America’s Cup and three years before he started CNN.

Bill Ficker, an architect from Newport Beach, won in 1974 and also defended the America’s Cup, in 1970.

The rest of the field, with the years they won and current occupation:

Scott Allan, Annapolis Yacht Club, sailmaker, 1967.

Skip Allan, Los Angeles YC, sailing services, 1968.

Harold Cudmore, Royal Cork YC, sailing services, 1986.

Dick Deaver, LAYC, retired sailmaker, 1976, 1978.

Dennis Durgan, Newport Harbor YC, real estate, 1979, 1980.

Dave Perry, Yale Corinthian YC, teacher/writer, 1983, 1984.

Tom Pickard, LBYC, retired businessman, 1971.

Henry Sprague, Navy YC, paving contractor, 1969.